


Time moves us forward

by somerandomperson



Series: Words for Inktober [11]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-04 03:42:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16339169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somerandomperson/pseuds/somerandomperson
Summary: Stiles wasn't expecting to see Derek in the cemetery in Beacon Hills. Of course Derek's family was here, Stiles hadn't thought about it, or what it meant to Derek, before now.





	Time moves us forward

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 11 - Cruel

It had been a few years since he saw Derek. He knew from Cora's instagram that Derek regularity visited her down in Argentina. 

Derek and he did text, it had started out as a very random one off. Stiles just sent one text, one time in the early hours, when he had been woken up by another nightmare and didn't want to sleep. He had been looking out at the window of his dorm room and saw the full moon up in the sky. He had written a text and sent it to Derek's number assuming that it would never reach him. Just a message sent out into the void. 

To his surprise a few minutes later he had got a response. He then text back a picture of the moon and Derek had sent one back of his view of the moon shining over some mountains. 

Their texting had been sporadic at first, then over the years it got more and more regular. Sometimes Stiles thought of Derek as his pen pal, someone out there who cared. It gave him comfort. That Derek was out in the world like him. Surviving, living his life despite everything that had happened. Just like him. 

And here Derek was back in Beacon Hills where Stiles least expected him. 

Stiles stood still, watching Derek at the graveside. It hadn't occurred to him that Derek's family had graves. After what had happened with Laura he had assumed that they were buried out at the burned out house. 

However seeing Derek sitting next to a large grave stone eyes shut, face tilted up to the sky he felt something inside him curdle. 

He knew how many people had died, he knew their names, he had read them in that police report many times. Yet it didn't feel real. They were just names on a list. Aside from Laura they hadn't seemed like people. 

It all seemed suddenly very real. That those names on that list were people. Brother, sister, aunt, uncle, father, daughter, son, mother. 

Mother. 

Stiles looked back towards his own mother's grave. His own grief had been all consuming, still was. It changed who he was, defined who he would be. 

He couldn't imagine that times eleven. Twelve with Laura. 

Stiles winced when he thought of how he and Scott had treated Derek then. He had felt guilty about Laura back then, it was a thought that came in and out of his head. He hadn't however, thought about how Derek was coping. That Derek had found her, only half of her. Had buried her alone, taking care to perform their rites. And what had Stiles done? Ripped into the grave, desecrated it and had Derek hauled in accused and censored for his sister's death. 

Now Stiles knew how much Derek had loved Laura, how much they had relied on each other since the rest of the family had died. He thinks back on that time with so much regret. Derek had been alone and grieving and all Stiles had brought was more trouble. Stiles hadn't cared, hadn't even considered how Derek had been feeling.   
Everything had been about Scott and how things affected him. 

Stiles knew he was probably being a little creepy but seeing Derek sat next to this large stone that had his family listed on it just made him ache inside for Derek. Derek who was sat with every loss etched in stone next to him. 

Stiles just wanted to go over there and hold him or something, so that Derek wouldn't be alone with his loss. So much loss. 

"You project your feelings you know." Stiles jumped and turned to find Cora stood next to him, hands in pockets. "I don't know why you feel guilty, you don't need to." 

"Yes I do" Stiles rubbed his neck "he lost so much, went through so much and I, we never helped. Never supported him. Hell we never even thought to ask if he was ok. We didn't care". 

Cora regarded him quietly. "I wasn't easy on him either". 

Stiles bumped his shoulder to hers "You had gone through a lot".

"Still" Cora bumped him back "too many times no one gave a damn about his feelings". 

"He has you now." 

"And you." 

"Not the same."

"Really?" Cora turned to face him raising an eyebrow "I know how much you text". 

Stiles gaped at her.

Cora grinned "come on, don't want him to be alone do you?" 

"No" Stiles said following Cora, he really didn't.


End file.
